Improvement in brush-cleaners



UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIGE.

ANTON HOPFEN, OF NE\V YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BRUSH-CLEANERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22 I ,309, dated November 4, 1879; application filed July 31, 1879. v

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTON HOPFEN, of

New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Brush Cleaners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs.

The invention relates to an improved brushcleaner; and it consists in providing a suitable frame with a series of elongated tines or teeth, the points of which are bent at an angle to the teeth. The tines thus arranged are supplemented by a shield cut from a single piece of metal and bent to form folds, ascraper, and a thumb-piece, the folds serving to secure the shield in an adjustable manner upon the elongated shanks of the teeth of the device, all as hereinafter set forth.

In some instances the elongated teeth are bowed at the point where the points are bent at an angle to the shanks of the teeth, and in this bowed portion I secure pieces or strips of absorbent material, which, when the cleaner above described is operated in a vertical position, may be drawn along the bases of the tufts of the bristles of the brush, cleaning them, while the elongated shanks and teeth serve to take up any hair that may be in the brush.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of the cleaner. Fig. 2 is a side view of same. Fig. 3 is a front view of same. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shield; and Figs. 5 and 6 are detached side views, showin g strips or pieces of absorbent material attached to the tines.

A denotes the frame in which the tines or teeth B are secured. The purpose of the frame A is to hold the teeth B, and it may be of any desirable construction, and provided with a handle, 0, if preferred. The tines B consist of an elongated shank, a, bowed portion I), and teeth 0, the essential characteristics of the tines being the elongated shank a and teeth a, bent at an angle to the shanks. The shanks a must be of sufficient length to permit the adjustment thereon of the shield D, and to allow the bristles of the brush to pass between them when the cleaner is drawn through the brush in a vertical position, as

shown in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, which is the most effective manner to operate it. Unless the shanks a are elongated the bristles of the brush cannot pass through the device.

The shield D is made of a sheet of metal, which is cut and bent to form the folds e, scraper (I, and thumb-piece c, all as shown in Fig. 4. The shield is movably mounted upon the elongated shanks a by means of the folds e, which move upon the two outer of said shanks, and is designedto be so adjusted that the scraper 01 will act upon the upper edges of the bristles of the brush.

The purpose of the shield D is to scrape the upper ends of the bristles of the brush to be cleaned, so that hair or other matter on the brush that would otherwise pass through the elongated tines B may be removed by the said shield. The shield D is adjusted upon the tines B according to the length of the bristles of the brush to be operated upon. 1f the bristles are long, the shield is moved farther toward the frame A; if short, it is lowered on the tines, the purpose being that the shield shall scrape the brushing-surface of the brush and clean it of any matter that the tines'may not reach as they are drawn through the brush.

It is obvious that various forms of shields for the purpose above mentioned will readily suggest themselves to the manufacturer, and I do not therefore limit myself to the exact construction shown, though I claim it, as hereinafter recited, as my invention.

H h denote, respectively, strips or pieces of absorbent material, which may be attached to the tines, or one or more thereof, at the bowed portion 1), which will prevent their riding up the elongated shanks when operated.

The strips or pieces of absorbent material are immersed or saturated with ammonia or other cleansing agent anddrawu through the brush with the cleaner in a vertical position. By this means the bases of the bristles of the brush may be readily cleansed.

Heretofore brushes have been cleaned by dipping a cloth in ammonia and rubbing them with it 5 but in this manner it is difficult and almost impossible, when the brush is made of close firm bristles, to clean the bases of the tufts of bristles.

Heretofore combs have been provided with a guard or shield made adjustable upon its I teeth for the purpose of keeping the latter clean. This guard, however, has not been of the same construction as the one I describe above as my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An implementfor cleaning brushes,which consists of a series of tines having elongated shanks a and teeth 0, the teeth bent at an angle to the shanks and secured to a suitable handle, substantially as shown and described.

2. The shield D, made from a sheet of metal and bent to form the folds e, scraper d, and thumb-piece e, substantially as set forth.

3. The shield D, consisting of the folds e, scraper (l, and thumb-piece 0, in combination with the cleaner consisting of the tines B,

having elongated shanks a and teeth Z), and secured to a frame, substantially as set forth.

4. An implement for cleaning brushes,which consists of a series of tines having elongated shanks a, bowed portions I), and teeth 0, se-

cured to a frame, in combination with one or more pieces or strips of absorbent material attached to the tines, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing improvement in brush-cleaners, as above described, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of July, 1879.

ANTO1\ HOPFEN.

Vitnesses:

OIIAs. G. GILL, WM. BRO. SMITH. 

